Lottery Launches Program for Problem Gamblers

Posted by Warren Krech on August 2, 2013

How’d you like to hit a lottery jackpot, and not get paid? It’s now an option for problem gamblers in Missouri.

The Missouri Lottery announced Thursday it will allow people to voluntarily ban themselves for life from claiming winnings of $600 or more. Lottery spokesman Susan Goedde says the program is the 4th of its kind in the country, and modeled after similar measures in Iowa and Illinois.

“Players play often to win a larger prize, so we’re hoping that knowing they’re not going to be able to come in and claim a prize like that, will reduce the incentive for them to go buy a ticket,” says Goedde.

Lottery officials picked the $600 figure because those prizes can only be claimed at a regional office, and not one of 5,000 individual retailers.